The Art of Naming

Princess Charlotte of Cambridge's first birthday is today, May 2, 2016. To celebrate, let's take a look at the names of female rulers of England and other Royal Princesses. While there have been many rulers of England in history , the vast majority of them have been male. However, some of the most influential rulers were the Queens, especially Queen Victoria and our current, long-reigning Queen Elizabeth II. Last week we took a look at the names of male rulers and their meanings and popularity over time. Now it is time to look at the women. Names of Queens of England: Mary: Mary comes from the Greek Mariam and Maria which were derived from the Hebrew Miryam . It's no secret that Mary (and Maria and Marie, etc) is by far the #1 name for women around the world. It ranked at either #1 or #2 in the US from 1880-1965. It wasn't until 2009 that it dropped out of the Top 100. As of 2014, Mary ranked at #120. It has been so well used that its starting to be a bi

How long have there been rulers in England ? At least on record, we can trace their names pretty far back. For a while, the kingdoms were separate and set up differently than today. Currently, Queen Elizabeth II reigns over Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Scotland, Ireland and Wales have all had their own rulers over time before becoming united as they are now. For this article, we will look strictly at the rulers of England. There will be posts in the future looking strictly at the names of the rulers of Wales and Scotland, but for now, let's focus on England. There have been many ruling Houses overtime and those rulers have had some interesting names. I didn't include some of the really early rulers since their names are unlikely to be used today and there are so many of them. We'll look at some of the more traditional names that are still in use such as William, Henry and John. I won't pretend to be a historian. This won't be a history lesson. We are

Congratulations are in order!! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed a daughter into the world on May 2, 2015 at 8:34 am in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in London.  The delivery was quick and easy for Catherine! They left the hospital roughly 10 hours after Princess Charlotte was born and took her home.  We were left waiting for an additional day to find out what name they chose. Speculation was everywhere! There were even bets being placed on the name. So many people were betting on Alice at first and suddenly the opinion changed to Charlotte which might indicate that someone somewhere knew beforehand. Either way, there was probably plenty of money lost and won. Finally, the official announcement came from Kensington Palace: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.    The baby will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. " Let's tak

The name of the Prince of Cambridge, the third in line to the throne of England, has finally been announced! What do you think of this Royal Baby Name? Is it fitting for a future King?  I think it is extremely strong and handsome. Perfect for this little Prince.  George was pretty much a sure thing and everyone was betting on it. Alexander is my own son's middle name and one of my very favorites. It wasn't on anyone's radar as an option. Louis is one of Prince William's middle names! Here's the breakdown of what each of the names mean and who else has worn these names in the Royal Family: George is a Greek name meaning "Farmer." The fact that they chose it is probably meant to reflect the humbleness of a farmer so that the Prince can always be down-to-earth and a more compassionate ruler. It is a strong name that is both royal and saintly. It was worn by the King of Britain for 116 years straight!  Most notably, George directly honors the most r

We got our first glimpse of the Prince of Cambridge! The proud parents Prince William and his wife Catherine briefly spoke with reporters today when they left the hospital. They said that the baby is quite heavy and definitely has a strong pair of lungs on him. William changed the baby's first nappy and this whole experience has been very emotional for them. He also said that they are just now having a chance to be with him and get to know him so they haven't been able to pin down the perfect name yet. Having a child of my own, I can relate to the whirlwind of events that come with childbirth. However, when you add in all of the media surrounding the hospital, the fact that you are royal, and the pressure of being charged with naming the future King of England, I cannot blame them for wanting to take a bit more time deciding on the name. After all, naming any child is a huge responsibility that should be taken very seriously. When you're naming royalty, it is that mu

This was as clear as the image could get. Have you heard? We have a new future King of England! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have just welcomed a son into the world! The media has been abuzz about them since they announced their pregnancy months ago! And in the past few weeks, speculation on the gender and the name of the baby has skyrocketed. There were even bookies in England taking bets on what name would ultimately be chosen. (I wonder who scored big and who lost!) I watched on a live news stream as the official correspondent left the hospital, entered the gates at Buckingham Palace and placed the official birth announcement on a golden easel.  The document said: "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm." The baby is already being hailed as the Prince of Cambridge. He was born today, July 22nd in the  St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London. He weighed in at 8 lbs and 6 oz. A healthy start for new royalty!

Image: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, by  Featureflash  /  Shutterstock.com Soon, England will have a brand new heir to the throne. Prince William and Kate Middleton are expecting a royal offspring soon and bets are flying as to the gender and the name. A bookmaking firm in the UK are even taking bets on what the child's future profession might be and what their hair color would be.  (Click here to view all the odds.) Some people are beginning to wonder if these bookmakers know something that we don't. William and Kate have stated that they do not know the gender of the child and are not going to find out until it is born, but the bookmakers have the odds set at 2-7 for a little princess, and only 11-2 for a prince. This may be based on a slip-up from Kate where she very nearly said "my daughter." The girl name with the best odds is Alexandra at 5-2. This seems to be the most popular choice all around and it happens to have been my first choice before I e